Inking mechanism for printing machines



c. A. HARLESS ETAL 2,915,008

mxmc MECHANISM FOR PRINTING MACHINES Filed April '12. 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVBVTORS. CHARLES A.HARLESS BY BURTON C.POLGLASE;IR. M ymr/ ATTO M5145 Dec. 1, 1959 c. A. HARLESS ETA!- 2,915,003

mum: MECHANISM FOR PRINTING MACHINES Filed April 12. 1954 s Sheets-Sheet 2 l\ :kl .J Q; 2 LL :1 A E i 8 INVENTORS'. CHARLES A.HARLESS r BY BURTON C.POLGLASE,JR.

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Dec. 1, 1959 c. A. HARLEISS ETA!- 2,915,003

INKING MECHANISM FOR PRINTING MACHINES Filed April 12. 1954 SSheets-Sheet s FIG.3.

79 M m 1 I I I 1 1' l INVENTORS. Eg CHARLES A.HARLESS 21m BY BURTON C;POLGLASE,JR.

glase, Jr.,'White Plains, N.Y., assignors to R. Hoe 8: Qm, Inc-, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Application April 12, 1954, Serial No. 422,456

4 Claims. (Cl. 101-34 This inventionrelates to drives for the ink motions of printing machines.

In such machinery the ink motions include a relatively large number of ink cylinders, transfer rollers and form rollers, some elements being driven: and othersTnot, and some having anaxial reciprocating movement: A variety of adjustments are provided for suiting ditferent ink re= quirements and the mechanisms are requiredto operate with inks of diiferent viscosities. At the same time, a minimum of backlash and vibration is highly desirable.

One object of the present invention is to provide an ink motion drive of compact, balanced construction, reducing vibration to a minimum. 1

Another object is to provide a drive utilizing subassemblies which may be interchangeable and installable as units in a variety of different positions and angular relationships to driving and driven elements.

Another object is toreduce sliding parts to a minimum and to eliminate as far as possible uncompensated wear.

With the foregoing objects, as well as others which will appear in the following full description in mind, a drive embodying the invention in a preferred form will now first be fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings and the features forming the invention will then be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic elevational view showing th drive side of a multicolor printing unit embodying features of the invention; 1 Fig. 2 in an enlarged view of a portion of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view of a portion of the printing unit with the upper portion removed and showing means for reciprocating two of the ink rollers, as seen from a plane indicated by the lines 3 3 of Fig. l, and viewed in the direction of the arrows; 1 j i Fig. 4 is a continuation of Fig. 3 showing means for reciprocating anotherof theink rollers shown in Fig. l;

and

Fig. 5 is a schematic sectional plan view showing the main drive for driving the ink rollers, as seen on theil in e 3 of Fig. 1 and viewed in the, directionof thejarroivs.

The printing machine comprises a large central impression cylinder I together with a number of plate cylinders P, etc., there being five such plate cylinders in the machine shown. It will be understood that such a machine is normally utilized for printing in five colors on one side of a web, that close registration and control of color is required and that practically any desired magazine or other product may be produced by combining the machine shown with another printing unit or units for printing on the other side of the web and with any desired drying apparatus, folder, cutoff and delivery.

Generally, since an ink motion is related very closely both in location and function to the plate cylinder which it inks, and since it is desirable to provide for readily moving it toward and away from the plate cylinders, ink motions have been driven ofi gears attached to their plate cylinders. However, this results in transmission of shocks United States Patent 2,915,008 Fatented Dec. 1, 1959 ice betweenmotion and cylinder, principally due to impact of anedgeof the plate as it reaches the line of impression. The control and uniformity of inking suffer accordingly. superficially, it might appear that the mass of the plate cylinder would exert a' stabilizing eifect upon the ink motion drive. This is true to some extent, but is actually outweighed by the harmful effect of the plate cylinder in transmitting shockn In the present arrangement, the ink motions have been made largely self-balanced so as to be capable of operating steadily with a minimum of vibration without need for any external flywheel effect such'as provided by a plate cylinder. The drive may be taken back to the impression cylinder shaft, or shaft driving the unit, through shafting having sufficient shock absorption to level off power surges and by varying the phase relation of the various printing units to each other the power consumption may be leveled off and smoothed outso as to have negligible fluctuation. Since the ink motions consume a very substantial fraction of the entire power consumed by the unit, the importance of this will be apparent.

It is preferred to take the drives off the unit main drive shaft in the following manner. The continuously rotating impression cylinder is driven from the main drive shaft, which may be a unit motor shaft or a line shaft transmitting power for the entire printing and folding arrangement, from a common motor. The plate cylinders are gearedto the impression cylinder so as to be driven" and stabilized thereby, as usual. The ink motion drive is however taken off an ink motion unit drive shaft geared to theimpression cylinder or main drive shaft and which in turn, through a plurality of shafts, drives the various ink motions. The pulsating torques in these shafts may combine at the ink motion unit drive shaft so as to level oif the net pulsation and the pulsation of torque for each ink motion shaft is further smoothed out by balancing the drive within each motion.

The parts for the various ink motions are largely identical and interchangeable and where not identical differ- They are accordingly identified by similar reference characters, and a descripmerely in shape and dimensions.

Individual ink motion arrangement and drive The ink motions are carried in a pair of frame structures 10 and 11, supporting, respectively, the drives for plate cylinders P and P and for plate cylinders P to P -These frame structures 10 and 11 are mounted, as usual,.for sliding movement toward and from the impression and plate cylinders which are supported on the main frame structure 12. The framestructures may be conventional and since their details form no part of the present invention, they will not be further described.

Each. ink. motion includes a plurality of aXially reciprocated and rotatively driven ink cylinders or drums (vibrators) 20, 21, 22 and 23 as well as a rotatively driven but not axially reciprocated ink cylinder 24. Ink may be supplied to the first cylinder 20 by means of ink pumps or by an ink fountain and ductor roller arrangement. The latter arrangement is illustrated at 30 in the drawing, and includes a step-by-step rotating fountain roller 31 and swinging ductor roller 32 for supplying ink to the cylinder 20, previously referred to. Reference may be made to application Serial Number 323,845 filed December 3, 1952, now US. Patent No. 2,818,950, for details of this structure supplying ink to the cylinder 20.

Each cylinder 24 is driven off the main machine drive, as later described, and serves as the central driving element for the entire plate cylinder ink motion of which it forms a part. The rotary driving elements comprise gears 40 which are fixed to the shafts of the cylinders with which they are concentric, and gears 41 which are .idle intermediate .drive gears." The form rollers and various transfer and distributing rollers, are'identified indiflerently by reference numeral '60, and are :not gear .driven, but rotate at speeds determined by the driven cylinder or cylinders which they engage. Cylinder--24,

The reciprocating drive connection for -vibrator 23 comprises a worm wheel 63 driven continuously by the worm 61 and driving an. eccentric 64, which through a strap 65, and wrist pin 66 drives crank arm 67 to which isfixed agear segmentv 68 in mesh with'a rack 69 fixed to acollar 70.rotatably carried on the shaft 23-of cylinder 23. The shaft of worm wheel 63 and of crank 67 are journaled ina bracket 71 mounted on ink motion-frame 10, as shown, and this entire assembly may be attached, removed or adjusted bodily and as a unit. The stroke of the eccentric 64 is regulable as by adjusting its eccentricity by means of rotatively adjustable mounting disk 72 held in adjusted position by a lock nut assembly 73.

Therack 69, previously referred to, is carried on ball or other anti-friction bearings 74, whose inner races are fixed rotatively and axially to the shaft 23" of cylinder 23 and whose outer races are fixed to the sleeve or-collar 70 which carries the rack 69. This element is conveniently held in position against rotation about the axis of cylinder 23 by forming cheeks or walls 75 along both sides of its teeth, the gear segment 68 being slidably received between them and hence holding the rack against rotation about the said axis. As will be apparent, each turn of worm wheel 63 will produce an axial reciprocation of cylinder 23 through a distance determined by the eccentricity setting of the disk 72.

Cylinder 22 is reciprocated by mechanism similar to that just described, while cylinders 20 and 21 are'reciprocated by a modified structure including a similar worm wheel 63 and eccentric carried in a bracket 77 and driving an elongated strap 78 which is connected through wrist pins 66 and connecting link 79 to crank arms 67 carried in a bracket 80 and driving the cylinders 20 and 21 axially by the same gear segment and rack arrangement as in the case of cylinders 22 and 23. Since the racks 69 on the shafts of cylinders 20 and 21 face oppositely, these two cylinders are reciprocated in synchronism but in opposite directions.

Thephase relationship between the movement's-of cylinders 22 and 23 and the pair 20, '21 may be selected, in conjunction with the cylinder diameters and drive speeds for balancing the driving load on the shaft of cylinder 24 and .for also relating the reciprocation of the cylinders for obtaining the most uniform distribution of the ink.

.Power for driving the inking mechanism is taken from a main horizontal drive shaft 25 (Fig. which also drives the printing cylinders, but through connections not shown in the drawings. A hypoidpinion 50 secured to the drive shaft 25 drives a cross shaft 26 by meshing with a hypoid gear 51 secured thereto, these gears being mounted within a housing 27. At the opposite end of the cross shaft 26, bevel gears 52 and 53 drive a vertical shaft 28, which carries bevel gears 54, that mesh with gears 55 and 56 to drive horizontalshafts 29 as indicated also in Fig. 1.

As shown in Fig. 5 the drive shafts 29 are provided with' coupling members42 which are separated whenthe frame structures 10 and'1'1 are moved away from the frame structure 12. Reference may be made to application Serial Number 419,205 filed March 29, 1954 for details of the couplings 42 and their operation. Bevel gears 57 on the' shaft 29 and the shaft 39 drive the ink drum 24 and the gear 44, both of which are secured to the shaft 39. I V I I Cylinders 20 and 21 have gears-40, andare-driven by the gear 44 through idlers 41, and the cylinders "22 and 23 location ofwhich'is'sho'wn-in Fig. 2 'are similarly driven.

What is claimed is: g

1. In a printing machine ink motion, having a plurality of successive ink drums, together with means for rotatively driving the same, transfer-rollers for conducting ink between the same and form rollers for conducting ink therefrom to a plate cylinder, an ink drum reciprocating mechanism comprising a worm rotatively fixed to and driven by'one of the said drums, and aplurality of axially reciprocating drive mechanisms for other drums of the ink motion, each including a worm wheel meshing with the said worm, a shaft rotatably supporting the worm wheel at right angles to the W orm,*a rock' shaft for reciprocating the drum and means supporting the rock shaft in parallelism to the worm 'Wh'eel shaft, an eccentric'fixed to the worm wheel and a strap drivingly connecting the said rock shaft to the eccentric.

2. An ink drum reciprocating mechanism according to claim 1, comprising means separate from the printing couple drive gears for driving the saidworm.

3. An ink drum reciprocating mechanism according to claim 1, comprising for each said strap and eccentric means for adjusting the stroke thereof to regulate the stroke of the drum reciprocating mechanism.

4. An ink drum reciprocating mechanism according to claim 1, in which one of the said rock shafts comprises means for reciprocating two of the said drums.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

